The good news, at least hopeful news, is that Louisiana is collaborating with six other states in a program of the Rockefeller Foundation to provide testing on a more rapid scale. The details have not yet been published so it just may be as we used to say in New Orleans: a shooshoo! (What’s a firecracker that doesn’t go off called?) The new tests are anticipated to provide rapid results to identify and confirm positive presence of the virus in a person. It won’t confirm the absence of the virus in a negative result prompting perhaps a follow-up test but will help screen positive cases. That will be a significant help as we await more testing choices.
The new test, which Louisiana is collaborating with the Rockefeller Foundation and other states, is the antigen test. It’s not good in ruling out the virus but is useful in confirming its presence as mentioned above. Maybe I’m premature in hanging any hopes on this as I don’t know any of the details, but better to hope than to despair.
In an abundance of caution and to try to achieve as much consistency as possible, Emerson’s famous quotation notwithstanding: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,” we’re adding a new protocol for Housekeeping. Housekeepers have been instructed not to go into residents’ apartments if residents are present without a mask. Some residents may choose to vacate the apartment while Housekeeping is there, others may choose to properly wear a mask. We’ve consistently tried to reduce the interaction between residents and staff knowing that this reduction assists in reducing the risk of transmission. Yes, it’s one more inconvenience to endure, but we believe it to be a worthwhile one to the benefit of both residents and staff.
Our decisions may be wrong, but they are not capricious or random. Except for decisions made “on the fly” which we try to limit, the protocols and practices we implement are considered, debated, and adopted with attention to determine unintended consequences. One decision involves residents being picked up by family members or friends. The restriction for such pickups is at the porte cochere of the Premier Building, and not the other doors. The reason is simple, we need to know who is in the building. We’ll look forward to removing that restriction someday but today is not it. Please feel free to come and go with family members but have them come to the main entrance.
I realize what an imposition the restrictions we’re under places on the community. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated and much needed to keep the community COVID-free. We continue to work under the advice to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I expect we will see some of both as glimmers of hope and relief pop up as we continue under the burden of uncertainty and restrictions.
“The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other comes from a strong won’t.” Howard Ward Beecher